May 5th, 2023: Weekly Newsletter

Watch my remarks on the Floor as the House passed my Resolution.

Last week, I led 50+ Members of Congress in a letter to Secretary Blinken demanding that the Biden Administration prioritize the immediate release of Luling native Mark Swidan, who is being unjustly detained by Communist China. This is after the House of Representatives, on a bipartisan basis, passed my bill formally calling on the Chinese Communist Party to release him. 

It was not long ago that President Biden and Secretary Blinken went to great lengths to bring home Brittney Griner from Russia. Now it is time for the Biden Administration to make these same efforts for Mark Swidan to ensure his safe return home. 

Mark has been subject to physical and psychological abuse and atrocities for over 10 years and China’s decision to reinforce his death sentence is an egregious miscarriage of justice. We ask this Administration to provide an immediate update on Mark’s condition and specify the actions they plan on taking to bring Mark home. 

You can read the full letter HERE.

On May 4th, I announced the introduction of YODA, the “You Own The Data Act,” which would establish a standard that users own their data: only with a user’s consent can a company collect, share, or retain an individual’s information. 

This bill asserts user control over their own data by prohibiting companies from collecting data without user consent and requires companies to provide periodic updates to users on what data is being collected and with whom it is being shared. 

Our government exists to protect the American people’s rights to life, liberty, and property. As such, it is appropriate that Congress takes action to protect you from third-party data collection. Everyone should have reasonable access to technologies without abdicating their right to privacy or anonymity.

You can read the entire bill HERE.

Last week, the House passed the Limit, Save, Grow Act with my support. It is no secret that government spending is completely out of control, and Congress has too often prioritized “wants” over “needs” while American families continue to struggle to make ends meet. It needs to stop now.

That’s why we passed this bill. It would cut wasteful Green New Deal spending, defund the 87,000 new IRS agents, stop Biden’s unconstitutional student loan bailout, claw back billions in unspent COVID funds, and reduce government discretionary spending to pre-COVID levels. This action alone will save $4.8 trillion in taxpayer money. 

Cutting spending and getting the economy back on track is one of the top priorities of this Congress. Rather than spending recklessly and pushing our economy to the brink, we have made it clear that cutting woke, weaponized spending is a must to govern our nation responsibly. 

This week, I participated in a roundtable discussion with local veterans to discuss how I am working on their behalf in Congress. 

One of my top jobs as an elected Representative is to ensure America’s heroes are afforded the quality care and assistance they have earned through their service. I will continue to work on behalf of our veterans and do all I can to get them the help and resources they need. Unfortunately, this administration is claiming our debt limit bill would cut veterans’ benefits — this is a blatant lie. Taking care of our service men and women should not be political, and I am committed to helping our veterans in every way possible. 

Thank you to those who served and to those who continue to serve our veterans. God bless you and your families for having the courage to protect our nation’s freedom. 

If you are a veteran needing assistance with the VA, please reach out to us using this link.

Prayer has always been a foundational part of our society and has played such an important role in our nation's history. Yesterday was #NationalDayOfPrayer — please continue to pray for the unprecedented challenges we will face in the future and for guidance and healing as we seek a more prosperous future as a nation. 

I joined Newsmax to discuss Title 42 ending next week and why we must use the power of the purse to hold the Biden and Mayorkas regime accountable.

I have spoken to countless border patrol agents and they all tell me the same thing — Title 42 is the only border enforcement mechanism that they have left. President Biden created an unprecedented national security and humanitarian crisis at our borders.

Congress has repeatedly passed border security funding, but now President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas are taking that money and using it to process more illegal migrants, benefiting cartels and drug lords instead of the American people. We need an administration that protects our border.

Watch my full interview HERE.

• Your vote is needed! Voting is now OPEN to choose the People’s Choice Award for the 2023 Congressional Art Competition. Head over to https://cloud.house.gov/art-competition to view this year’s submissions and cast your vote for your favorite. Voting ends this upcoming Sunday and the winners will be announced next week.

• I was pleased to join Trinity Broadcasting Network this week.

God Bless,

Rep. Michael Cloud

Member of Congress

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